BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Coast Guard officials said Monday they have identified all seven victims who died when a commercial fishing vessel sank in frigid waters off Gloucester, Massachusetts, without a mayday call.
The Coast Guard suspended the search for those aboard the Lily Jean on Saturday. Authorities launched a search-and-rescue operation Friday morning after receiving an alert from a 72-foot (22-meter) vessel about 25 miles (40 kilometers) off the historic Cape Ann Peninsula. Then they started the investigation.
Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo was the boat’s captain, and the crew included Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien, the Coast Guard said Monday to identify the drowning victims for the first time. Jada Samit, a fisheries supervisor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was also on board, the Coast Guard and NOAA said. No one survived.
“A district-level formal investigation consists of Coast Guard investigative officers who will obtain evidence and testimony using formal rules and procedures regarding a recent marine casualty,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “This type of investigation is initiated for incidents of significant regional importance or for incidents that may reveal broader issues in the ship’s class or areas of technical concern.”
Tragedy strikes a fishing town
It is the latest maritime tragedy to hit Gloucester and its close-knit community of people involved in the fishing business. The town that inspired the book and movie “The Perfect Storm” is steeped in 400 years of fishing history and occasional tragedy. “The Perfect Storm” was inspired by the FV Andrea Gail, which was lost at sea in 1991.
Sanfilippo was well known in the community. Lilly Jean, Sanfilippo and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show “Nor’easter Men.” The skipper is described as a fifth generation commercial fisherman, fishing from Gloucester to Georges Bank. The team has been shown working long hours in dangerous weather, spending up to 10 days at sea fishing for haddock, lobster and flounder in a single trip.
“We loved each other,” Vito Giacalone, head of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, said of his relationship with Sanfilippo. “He treated me like a big brother and I treated him like my little brother. Knowing this tragedy and knowing Gus’ character, knowing that all these lives were lost, he’s going to be devastated.”
The mayor of Gloucester, Paul Lundberg, said the names of those on the Lily Jean will be added to the city’s memorial honoring the thousands of fishermen lost at sea.
NOAA said in a statement that Samit was a fisheries observer assigned to collect data from the vessel’s catch. Fisheries observers are workers on fishing boats who collect data that the government uses to make regulations.
NOAA Fisheries said observer deployments will be suspended until after midnight Wednesday due to sinking and northeasterly weather.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to Jada’s family, the families of six fishermen, the NOAA observer community and all those affected. We deeply appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and other fishing vessels assisting in the search,” NOAA said in a statement.
Fishing is a dangerous business
Deep sea fishing in New England can always be dangerous, but it can be especially dangerous in the winter due to high waves, cold temperatures and unpredictable weather. Commercial fishing is often cited as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
Everett Sawyer, 55, a childhood friend of Sanfilippo, said he knew 25 people lost at sea. Cold winter conditions can complicate operations even for experienced sailors, Sawyer said.
“When you’re out at sea, things happen very quickly,” he said.
A search for survivors has yielded no results
Searchers found a wreckage area near where the alert originated, including a body in the water and an empty life raft, the Coast Guard said.
The team covered about 1,000 square miles (2,589 square kilometers) in a 24-hour period using aircraft, cutters and small boats. However, after consultations between search and rescue mission coordinators and commanders on the scene, the Coast Guard announced Saturday that it had exhausted all reasonable search efforts for the missing crew members.
Officials said there was no mayday call from the Lilly Jean as it navigated the frigid Atlantic Ocean on its way home to Gloucester. The Coast Guard was notified by the boat’s beacon that alerted it when it hit the water.
Jamie Frederick, the Coast Guard’s Sector Boston commander, said freezing temperatures and storm surges made it difficult to search for survivors overnight, a task made more challenging by a nor’easter approaching the East Coast over the weekend. Searchers dealt with 7 to 10 feet of sea and cold sea spray, Frederick said. ___
Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine.
